Nokia has filed a complaint against Apple alleging that Apple’s iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards (and we always thought that it would be Apple vs Palm :P). The suit concerns all iPhone models produced by Apple. While the original iPhone launched back in 2007 and since then has sold more than 50million iPhones and iPod touch combined.
According to Nokia some 40 companies license these patents from them (which includes all major mobile manufacturers) and apparently Apple disagreed to the license terms that Nokia placed. The suit highlights 10 registered patents that Apple iPhone has infringed upon.
Apple iPhone has been one of the best selling smartphones in recent years and has been credited as the catalyst for the mobile internet / smartphone boom that we are into. Last quarter alone Apple sold roughly 7.4 million iPhones and was unable to meet the demand due to supply constraints. The iTunes Appstore has sold 2 billion apps already, and rumors of iPhone 4G are already floating around.
Nokia has a wide patent portfolio of 10000 fillings, and the company claims to have invested EUR 40 billion in R&D over the past two decades. Specific details pertaining to the case are not revealed yet. However, this dispute might well go on for years to come or ultimately result in a settlement.
View the Nokia Release on this issue